First Podium MotoE in Hungary: between joy and fear

Friday, August 22nd

Great enthusiasm right from the opening minutes of the Hungarian GP, with both Snipers riders immediately quick from Free Practice.
Nicholas Spinelli started strong, working for 15 minutes with an excellent pace and without any reference points on track. Tibor Varga, highly anticipated on his home debut, immediately confirmed his qualities, consistently staying in the Top 3 from his very first flying lap.
In the closing stages, Spinelli managed to edge ahead of his teammate, delivering a brilliant start for the team: 3rd place for Nicholas and 4th for Tibor.

The practice session also proved very positive for Team Snipers, with both riders confirming the same working strategy already seen in the morning.
A harmless crash slowed Spinelli down, but the red flag allowed him to return to the pitlane and quickly fix the bike. Once the session resumed, both riders raised the pace: Tibor Varga secured a brilliant 2nd position, while Nicholas Spinelli finished 6th. These results guaranteed both riders direct access to Q2 in the afternoon.

After Q1, Spinelli and Varga returned to the track to fight for pole in Q2. The speed of the two Snipers riders drew the attention of the group, which used them as a reference, partly complicating their attempts.
Nicholas pushed until the very end, while Tibor opted for a different strategy, slowing down on the penultimate lap to follow his rivals. It was only on the final lap that both managed to put together their best efforts: Varga secured a brilliant 4th place—his best qualifying result—right in front of the home crowd, while Spinelli finished 5th, completing a highly valuable second row for the team ahead of the races.

Saturday, August 23rd

Great tension on the grid for Team Snipers, with Tibor Varga highly motivated to make his mark in his home race. At the start, Spinelli immediately launched himself toward the top 3, while Tibor even attempted to take the lead into Turn 1, running slightly wide and holding second place.
Unfortunately, before the end of the opening lap, Varga was involved in a heavy crash at the exit of Turn 14, losing consciousness. The race direction immediately brought out the red flag as medical staff intervened quickly. Thankfully, after the initial scare, the outcome was positive: Varga was transferred to hospital for checks and a few hours later was able to return to the paddock, welcomed by the affection of the team and the fans.
At the restart of Race 1, shortened to 4 laps, Nicholas Spinelli was unable to replicate his early momentum and finished 6th, still securing valuable points ahead of Race 2.

Due to the incident in Race 1, Tibor Varga did not take part in the second race of the Hungarian round, watching trackside alongside the team.
This time, Spinelli made a strong start, immediately slotting into third place. In the 7 laps available, the Snipers rider displayed determination and fighting spirit: first defending his position with grit, then launching his attack in the closing stages. With a decisive pace, he claimed 2nd place and held it to the line.
For Nicholas, it was his first podium of the season—marking also the first-ever historic podium for Team Snipers in MotoE.

Comments

A satisfied Nicholas Spinelli comments on his podium:
“I’m really happy to have taken this first podium of the year. I want to dedicate this result to the team for all the work we’ve done together to reach this point. Now we need to keep going on this path. A big thanks also to our sponsors for their support! See you in Catalunya.”

Updates and words from Tibor Varga has been shared on our social channels.